One advantage of not being superstitious

[Blue Monk]

I work at UT and with 50,000 students plus faculty and staff all looking for a parking space at the same time and it can be a real pain. The permits are expensive and they really only give you the right to hunt for a spot.

There’s a parking garage right near where I work but it is $8 a day which can really add up.

As a result I have been using a small commercial lot only a small distance farther away that only charges $4 a day. It too often tends to fill up but there is one slot that seems to consistently be open most every day.

Which slot?

Good ol’ number 13. I park in that slot almost everyday because it is rarely filled.

I find that this is most fortunate for me.

It is, however, quite disturbing when one considers that this is parking that caters to a major University.

Has anyone else ever noticed a similar pattern that suggests that many people still consider some numbers to be ‘unlucky?”

 

[Mercutio]

LOL...being the stingy b@$tard I am...I pick up coins that others have discarded. Even pennies. At my salary, these amount to a serious increase in my take-home pay. Funny thing, though...a random sample of coins should have roughly 50% heads, 50% tails, but since people think that finding a coin laying heads up is lucky...I find far more tails-up coins. If they don't want them, I am glad to gather them.

 

[BPSCG]

Good ol’ number 13. I park in that slot almost everyday because it is rarely filled.

I find that this is most fortunate for me.

It is, however, quite disturbing when one considers that this is parking that caters to a major University.

Disturbing, maybe but hardly surprising, according to my wife. Nothing's so silly that a Longhorn won't buy into it.

Rice, to answer your question.

 

[Blue Monk]

Funny thing, though...a random sample of coins should have roughly 50% heads, 50% tails, but since people think that finding a coin laying heads up is lucky...I find far more tails-up coins.

I've never thought about that enough to notice. Thanks, now I'm going to start paying attention.

 

[Blue Monk]

Re: Re: One advantage of not being superstitious

Disturbing, maybe but hardly surprising, according to my wife. Nothing's so silly that a Longhorn won't buy into it.

Rice, to answer your question.

Pffft!!!

Two replies into the thread and already someone is spouting superstitious nonsense.

 

[CurtC]

When I was in middle school, our math department had a work-at-your-own pace kind of curriculum. We'd do our lessons, and when we were ready we'd go to the math testing center and be tested. For some reason, they had a policy that tests taken on Friday the 13th would receive 10 extra points. I would always take as many tests as I could on those days, and I recall at least a few times ending up with a 110 score to average in with my other grades.

Then in high school, the math department sold pencils to raise money. Ten cents each, or two for a quarter. No kiddin.

I don't think the parking space thing would happen in Lubock, we Red Raiders aren't superstitious.

 

[Operaider]

LOL...being the stingy b@$tard I am...I pick up coins that others have discarded. Even pennies. At my salary, these amount to a serious increase in my take-home pay. Funny thing, though...a random sample of coins should have roughly 50% heads, 50% tails, but since people think that finding a coin laying heads up is lucky...I find far more tails-up coins. If they don't want them, I am glad to gather them.

Perhaps there is an inordinate amount of 'tails up' coins because of all the superstitious people that go around only pick up 'heads up' coins.

If only there was a way to make them avoid picking up coins all together. Perhaps we could make a superstition. Lets say anyone who picks money off the street gets 13 months of bad luck, or goes to hell due to greed, or gets herpes. Even better, Anyone who dumps the contents off their wallet on the street and leaves it gets a free pass straight heaven. I believe religions have used similar techniques through the years with great success.

 

[Mercutio]

Perhaps there is an inordinate amount of 'tails up' coins because of all the superstitious people that go around only pick up 'heads up' coins.

Um...I thought that was what I was implying...

I really do think that is the case. I have seen people look, then refuse to pick up a "tails" coin (I grab it immediately). I have also experienced others asking me (including my mother, last week) "ooh, is it heads up?" when I pick up a coin.

Hmmm...This one might be worthy of a little survey of my students...

 

[Operaider]

On second look that is obviously what you implied

 

[BPSCG]

I don't think the parking space thing would happen in Lubock, we Red Raiders aren't superstitious.

...or good spellers either, it seems. Or is that how they spell Lubbock these days?

Any Aggies out there...?

 

[thatguywhojuggles]

I'll find out for sure on Monday if I get it, but I'm pretty certain I will be moving into a studio apartment in Portland that is numbered 13.

 

[Blue Monk]

I'll find out for sure on Monday if I get it, but I'm pretty certain I will be moving into a studio apartment in Portland that is numbered 13.

Oh buddy, you're doomed.

 

[Tricky]

I work at UT...

Awrigggght! Go Vols!

 

[Jeff Corey]

Um...I thought that was what I was implying...

I really do think that is the case. I have seen people look, then refuse to pick up a "tails" coin (I grab it immediately). I have also experienced others asking me (including my mother, last week) "ooh, is it heads up?" when I pick up a coin.

Hmmm...This one might be worthy of a little survey of my students...

I grew up in a small town in CT, and I never heard of that superstition until I came to NY. We would grab any coin we saw that wasn't clearly in the possession of another person.
So, when people told me about the superstition here, we did a field experiment. Sixteen students took 10 pennies and 10 dimes to public areas. Half of each were place heads up with no one looking. The others, tails.
After a half hour, all the students combed the area for the coins.
Guess the result.

 

[Blue Monk]

I grew up in a small town in CT, and I never heard of that superstition until I came to NY. We would grab any coin we saw that wasn't clearly in the possession of another person.
So, when people told me about the superstition here, we did a field experiment. Sixteen students took 10 pennies and 10 dimes to public areas. Half of each were place heads up with no one looking. The others, tails.
After a half hour, all the students combed the area for the coins.
Guess the result.

Hehe, I'll bet I can guess the result.

I was raised on the notion that it was bad luck to pass up free money.

It may not be bad luck but it is good advice.

If anyone has any unlucky money I will be more than happy to shoulder your burden.

 

[Operaider]

I'm going to guess that you found less dimes than you did pennies.

 

[T'ai Chi]

Then in high school, the math department sold pencils to raise money. Ten cents each, or two for a quarter. No kiddin.

I guess they weren't very good at math, because two for a quarter is not a deal when they sell them for 10 cents each.

 

[Ladewig]

Rice, to answer your question.

Beak 'em, Owls.

 

[stoatbringer]

people think that finding a coin laying heads up is lucky

I'd never heard that one before.

I'm quite happy to pick money up, whichever way round it is.

And anyway, a coin tails-up is still heads-up to someone on the other side of the planet!

 

[Anders]

Then in high school, the math department sold pencils to raise money. Ten cents each, or two for a quarter. No kiddin.

Ok, I (Swedish) have problems with the US coins when in the US. But I very well know that a quarter is worth 25 cents.

But, it might had been a gimmick to get more money for the fund raise!